Photos #2 and #3 shows the use of a very sturdy barrel. Marvin Newman, my father-in-law, is mixing up some sand finish that will be used both for the sand finish on the ceiling and also the texturing that will be done on the walls. Water is always put in the barrel first, then the lime and Keene's cement is added at about the same time. The sand is added at the end. Mixing is done for about five minutes and then the mix is allowed to set another five minutes, then mixed again. Because there is so much lime mixed with this type of finish, a lot of water is used in comparison to basecoat mixes. For large mixes, the Milwaukee drill pictured is used by Marv, which mixes at one speed. He likes the variable slower-speed drill the company has which helps control the mess.